Medical symptoms tracking apparatus, methods and systems

ABSTRACT

In an aspect, a method of monitoring one or more symptoms of a person include repeating, over a period of time, the steps of: selecting, by the person, one or more symbolic representations corresponding to one or more symptoms from a predefined set of symbolic representations presented to the person; and electronically recording data regarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by the person such that the data is electronically accessible later for generating a history of the symptoms of the person over the period of time. The one or more symbolic representations corresponding to one or more symptoms is selected using an electronic device having a component for displaying the predefined set of symbolic representations that is coupled to a user input for receiving the selection of the one or more symbolic representations by the person.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a U.S. nonprovisional patent application of,and claims priority under §119(e) to, U.S. provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 61/462,055, filed Jan. 28, 2011; and is a U.S.continuation-in-part patent application of, and claims priority under 35U.S.C. §120 to, U.S. nonprovisional patent application Ser. No.13/360,721, filed Jan. 28, 2012, which '721 application is a U.S.nonprovisional patent application of, and claims priority under §119(e)to, U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/462,055, filed Jan.28, 2011. The disclosure of each of the priority application, anypublications thereof, and any patents issuing there from, isincorporated by reference herein. Moreover, the principal disclosure ofprovisional patent application Ser. No. 61/462,055 is contained in theAppendix hereof, which is incorporated by reference herein.Additionally, the present application hereby incorporates herein byreference U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/007,595 and correspondingU.S. patent application publication no. 2011/0179136.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

All of the material in this patent document is subject to copyrightprotection under the copyright laws of the United States and othercountries. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimilereproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure,as it appears in official governmental records but, otherwise, all othercopyright rights whatsoever are reserved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The healthcare industry is undergoing transformational change with amassive drive for standardized communication systems, robust security,improved efficiency, and increased accountability. In addition to this,there have been major and rapid advances in medical sensing and mobilecommunications devices with advances in functionality coupled withimprovements in portability (miniaturization and power efficiency).There have also been unprecedented advances in objective technologiesacross the board and specialties, especially in the areas of imaging andlaboratory analysis.

While such advances have been going on, this technical culture haseffectively neglected the most important reason for medical presentationand intervention, i.e., the stories as told by the patients. Indeed,clinical professors universally reinforce the importance of patienthistory in medical monitoring and diagnosis. Medical history isacknowledged by most healthcare professionals to supersede theimportance of examination, imaging, and laboratory investigations.Without an accurate recall and transcription of events, the accuracy ofmedical diagnosis can be critically compromised. For example, anindividual who is breathing with difficulty, and is red and blotchy andcannot remember eating a peanut thirty minutes earlier, will compromisea physician's diagnosis of a nut allergy and may lead to the individualnot avoiding nuts and having the same potentially life-threateningproblem in the future.

In addition, physicians rely on patient feedback on efficacy ofinterventions, reporting of adverse effects, and progression of disease.Due to treatment and individual variability (resulting from a myriad offactors including genetics, nutrition, lifestyle, and history), theresponse to any one intervention is variable and, thus, feedback isextremely important. For the treating physician, monitoring thisresponse occurs mainly at the post-prescription appointment. This can beproblematic because there can be a significant delay or error inreporting adverse effects, or lack of efficacy, due to elapsed timebetween appointments, thereby resulting in decreased likelihood of anaccurate recall of events.

This reliance on “the individual's story” is of significant importancebecause it likely relates directly to the problem that precipitated theperson's visit to the health care provider. There are, however, problemswith this reliance on doctor/patient communication, as human memory isfallible, and there can be variable delays between reporting and theactual time of the course of events leading up to the appointment. It iswell established that recall of events can be inaccurate, and this iseven more of an issue in certain medical conditions, such as a headinjury. As well as memory, bias at the time of any professionalconsultation due to literacy, general communication skills, languagebarriers, cultural barriers, ethnic barriers, and socioeconomic barriersalso impede effective communications between individuals and theirmedical healthcare providers.

In addition to the above, there are potentially multiple transcriptionerrors at the healthcare provider level from other factors includingpreconception, leading and closing questioning, time pressure, andgeneral misunderstanding. There is fallibility of conventionalhealthcare provider/patient communications.

Some tools have been developed to address the foregoing foreseendeficiencies in the current healthcare paradigm, but they generallyrequire a reasonably high degree of literacy to make full use of suchtools. Exemplary tools are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No.6,529,195 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,856,315, each of which is incorporatedherein by reference for disclosure of such tools. For example, bodyimage mapping has been used for tracking pain; and pictorial charts havebeen used for depicting symptoms to identify infections or asthma.

Nonetheless, it is believed that no one has used representations ofsymptoms in an on-screen format that actually depict how the symptomsfeel; enable the assignment to symptoms of values (including binaryvalues, ranges, measures, and intensities); and/or associated thesymptoms with time thereof and/or special (geographical) locationthereof; and then entered such data into electronic health records forthe purposes of clinical decision making.

One or more of these unique benefits and advantages are provided inaccordance with one or more aspects and features of the presentinvention. Indeed, it is believed that one or more aspects and featuresaddress current limitations in the widespread usability of technologies,including: user input, which generally requires some knowledge of how touse the technologies with keyboard entry; instructions and guidance,which utilizes written text, thus failing to be usable by those withdisabilities or language difficulties; and the lack of decision makingbased on patient stories being built into current clinical decisionmaking applications.

As will be appreciated from the disclosure below, one or more aspectsand features of the invention solves problems of communicating,translating and transcribing. This especially applies to those personswho are otherwise limited in the way they can communicate usinglanguage, ether verbal or written/typed. Indeed, many aspects andfeatures of the invention are patient-centric and empower individuals,and populations of individuals, in communicating their stories, givingvoice to their experiences of symptoms over time and enhancing medicaldecision making based thereon.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to systems, apparatus, andmethods pertaining to medical data acquisition and storage and, moreparticularly, to the monitoring, storage and access to medical datapertaining to symptoms experienced by people. Furthermore, some aspectsand features of the invention generally revolve around tracking symptomsutilizing desktop or mobile hardware and software for input through avariety of user interfaces.

The present invention includes many aspects and features. Moreover,while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in, thecontext of symptom tracking, analysis, and decision making based atleast in part thereon, one or more aspects of the present invention arenot limited to such use only. Indeed, some aspects are applicablewithout regard to the context or type of data that is acquired, whilesome aspects relate to a language agnostic system for communicating andrecording medical symptoms with temporal and spatial coordinates forenhancing medical audit, decision-making, and support, as will becomeapparent from the following summaries and detailed descriptions ofaspects, features, and one or more embodiments of the present invention.

In an aspect of the present invention, a communications system utilizessymbology—or icon-based communications—coupled with single words, orsimple phrases, in one or more languages for tracking and monitoringsymptoms. When used on mobile communications devices, subjectiveexperiences can be recorded in, or near to, real-time, therebyaddressing another communication issue, that of memory. In features ofthis aspect, intensity of the symptom is recorded and the time andgeolocation information are recorded in conjunction with theidentification of the symptom being experienced.

In an aspect of the invention a method of monitoring one or moresymptoms of a person comprises repeating, over a period of time, thesteps of: (a) selecting, by the person, one or more symbolicrepresentations corresponding to one or more symptoms from a predefinedset of symbolic representations presented to the person; and (b)electronically recording data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by the person such that the data iselectronically accessible later for generating a history of the symptomsof the person over the period of time.

In a feature of the invention, the one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms is selected using an electronicdevice comprising a component for displaying the predefined set ofsymbolic representations that is coupled to a user input for receivingthe selection of the one or more symbolic representations by the person.The electronic device may be operable by voice; operable by gestures;operable by recognition of facial expressions of a person; operable byrecognition of eye movements of a person; operable by touch; operable bybrain activity; operable by brain activity using magnetic sensors;operable by brain activity using electric sensors; or any combination ofthe foregoing.

In another feature, the electronic device includes a piezoelectriccomponent for creating heat. The electronic device creates heat suchthat virtual Braille functionality is provided. Preferably, theelectronic device generates heat in distinct and separate locations ofthe electronic device so as to be operable by visually impaired persons.

In another feature, the method further comprises the steps ofelectronically communicating the recorded data to a healthcare provider.

In another feature, the method further comprises the steps ofelectronically communicating the recorded data to cloud-based datastorage.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representations of thepredefined set comprise illustrations of complex facial expressions.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representations of thepredefined set comprises illustrations of separate body regions.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representations of thepredefined set comprise separate anatomical structures.

In another feature, the two or more symbolic representations of thepredefined set comprise different colors.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representations of thepredefined set comprise simple language identifiers. Each simplelanguage identifier may consists of no more than a single word; mayconsist of no more than two words; may comprise words of differentlanguages; and may comprises two phrases, each in a different language.

In another feature, one or more of the symbolic representations of thepredefined set comprise intensity ratings or ranges.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representations of thepredefined set comprises two illustrations representing extremes and abridge extending there between representative of a range between theextremes.

In another feature, the predefined set of symbolic representationsfurther includes a symbolic representation of a normal state of theperson.

In another feature, the predefined set of symbolic representationsfurther includes a symbolic representation of a happy state of theperson.

In another feature, the predefined set of symbolic representationsfurther includes a symbolic representation of a healthy state of theperson.

In another feature, the history of the symptoms of the person over theperiod of time comprises a chronological history of the symptoms of theperson during the period of time.

In another feature, the history of the symptoms of the person over theperiod of time comprises a spatial representation of the locations ofthe selections of the symptoms by the person during the period of time.

In another feature, the history of the symptoms of the person over theperiod of time comprises both a chronological history of the selectionsof the symptoms by the person during the period of time, and a spatialrepresentation of the locations of the selections of the symptoms of theperson during the period of time.

In another feature, data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by the person includes an identification of thecorresponding one or more selected symptoms.

In another feature, the data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by the person includes a timestamp for when theone or more symbolic representations were selected.

In another feature, the data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by the person includes an identification of thelocation at which the one or more symbolic representations wereselected. The identification of the location at which the one or moresymbolic representations were selected may include GPS coordinates ofthe location at which the one or more symbolic representations wereselected.

In another feature, the data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations that were selected includes an indication of theintensity of a symptom for which a symbolic representation was selected.

In another feature, the data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations that were selected includes a numerical representationof a range of a symptom for which a symbolic representation wasselected. The numerical representations of ranges of the symptom may beapplied in one of four dimensions for graphically illustrating thesymptoms of the person, with one of the four dimensions being time.

In another feature, the predefined set of symbolic representations arepresented to the person by way of a display.

In another feature, the predefined set of symbolic representations arepresented to the person by being displayed on a touch screen.

In another feature, the step of electronically recording data regardingthe one or more symbolic representations selected by the personcomprises recording data in an electronic device of the person. The dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson may be recorded in an electronic device that is carried by theperson, and the electronic device may communicate wirelessly with otherelectronic devices.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms is selected using a mobile device.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms is selected using a smart phone.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms is selected using a laptop.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms is selected using a tabletcomputer.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms is selected using a publiccomputer.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms is selected using a personalcomputer.

In another feature, the one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms is selected using an Internetenable television.

In another feature, the step of electronically recording data regardingthe one or more symbolic representations selected by the personcomprises electronically communicating the data from an electronicdevice at which the selection is made to one or more other electronicdevices for safekeeping of the data. The other electronic device maycomprise one or more servers; one or more other computers; orcombination thereof. Additionally, electronically communicating mayoccur over a communications network; over the Internet; wirelessly; overa cellular network; via TCP/IP communications; or any combinationthereof.

In another feature, the step of electronically recording data regardingthe one or more symbolic representations selected by the personcomprises electronically communicating the data from an electronicdevice at which a selection is made by the person to cloud basedstorage.

In another feature, the step of electronically recording data regardingthe one or more symbolic representations selected by the personcomprises recording the data in an electronic healthcare record of theperson.

In another feature, the period of time is the time between visits by theperson to a healthcare provider.

In another feature, the period of time is the time between visits by theperson to a healthcare clinic.

In another feature, the period of time is the time between visits by theperson to an automated healthcare station. The automated healthcarestation may comprise a booth at a pharmacy and, more specifically, maycomprise a booth at a pharmacy whereat a person's blood pressure isautomatically taken.

In another feature, the period of time is the time between visits by theperson to a laboratory.

In another feature, the period of time is the time between laboratorytesting.

In another feature, the period of time is the time between blood tests.

In another feature, the period of time is the time between blood glucosetests.

In another feature, the period of time is the time betweenself-administered tests.

In another feature, the data is electronically accessible by ahealthcare professional for generating a history of one or more of thesymptoms that were selected by the person over the period of time. Thehistory of the one or more symptoms that were selected may be used inmaking a clinical decision regarding the provision of healthcare to theperson. The clinical decision may be made by a healthcare professional,and the clinical decision may be automatically made using software.

In another feature, the data is electronically accessible by aresearcher for generating a history of one or more of the symptoms thatwere selected by the person over the period of time.

In another feature, the data is electronically accessible by the personfor generating a history of one or more of the symptoms that wereselected by the person over the period of time.

In another feature, the data is electronically accessible and is used tofacilitate self, professional or automated decision making, support,audit, or guidance.

In another feature, the data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by the person comprises a personal alphanumericidentifier of the person.

In another feature, an avatar of the person is updated based on the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson.

In another feature, an avatar of the person is updated based on the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson, and wherein the avatar is associated with a website.

In another feature, an avatar of the person is updated based on the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson, and wherein the avatar is associated with a social networkingwebsite.

In another feature, an avatar of the person is updated based on the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson, and wherein the avatar is associated with an instant messagingprogram.

In another feature, an avatar of the person is updated based on the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson, and wherein the avatar is associated with twitter.

In another feature, an avatar of the person is updated based on the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson, and wherein the avatar is associated with facebook.

In another feature, an avatar of the person is updated based on the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson, and wherein the avatar is associated with a blogs.

In another feature, the data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by the person does not comprise a personalidentifier of the person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and compiling a history based on the accessed data.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and compiling a history based on the accessed data.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on indications ofthe intensity of the one or more symptoms selected.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on changes inindications of the intensity of the one or more symptoms over a temporalsequence.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on changes inindications of the intensity of the one or more symptoms over a spatialsequence.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current medical history data of theperson.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to family medical history data of the person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past food and beverage intake data of the person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current social history data of theperson.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current retail and consumer history dataof the person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current prescription drug data of theperson.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current over the counter medication dataof the person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current recreational drug use data ofthe person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current alcohol and tobacco consumptionhistory data of the person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current travel history data of theperson.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current accommodation history data ofthe person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current conventional and complementarymedicine intervention history data of the person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current exercise and activity history ofthe person.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theperson and making a clinical decision based, in part, on the accesseddata in relation to past and/or current exercise and activity historydata of the person.

In another feature, the method further comprises the steps of accessingthe data regarding the one or more symbolic representations selected bythe person and displaying the accessed data over time in the nature of amovie.

In another feature, the method further comprises the steps of accessingthe data regarding the one or more symbolic representations selected bythe person and displaying the accessed data over time in the nature of agraph.

In another feature, the method further comprises the steps of accessingthe data regarding the one or more symbolic representations selected bythe person and displaying the accessed data on a map.

In another feature, the method further comprises the steps of accessingthe data regarding the one or more symbolic representations selected bythe person and comparing the data to predefined diagnostic datasets fordetermining likely diagnosis of the selected symptoms of the person.

In another aspect of the invention, a method of monitoring one or moresymptoms of a plurality of persons comprises: (a) repeating, for eachperson over a respective period of time for that person, the steps of(i) selecting, by that person, one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms from a predefined set of symbolicrepresentations presented to that person, and (ii) electronicallyrecording data regarding the one or more symbolic representationsselected by that person; and (b) electronically accessing the dataelectronically recorded for generating a history of the symptoms of asubset of the plurality of persons over a selected period of timeoverlapping with the respective periods of time of the persons of thesubset.

In a feature, the plurality of persons comprise a predefined group ofpeople. The predefined group of people may be of the same culture; maybe of the same socioeconomic status; may have the same learningdifficulties; may be persons with high risks of one or more particularhealthcare issues. Generally, the persons preferably share one or morecommon characteristics. Moreover, the recorded data may includeinformation regarding the person for which the data is recorded; any mayinclude a unique identifier of the person for which the data is recordedor, alternatively, include a non-unique identifier of the person forwhich the data is recorded. In a feature, the data recorded includesgeneral profile information regarding the person for which the data isrecorded, and the subset of the plurality of persons is determined basedat least in part on the general profile information of those persons.

In another feature, the history of the symptoms of each person over therespective period of time for each person comprises a chronologicalhistory of the symptoms of each person during the respective period oftime.

In another feature, the history of the symptoms of each person over therespective period of time for each person comprises a spatialrepresentation of the locations of the selections of the symptoms byeach person during the respective period of time.

In another feature, the history of the symptoms of each person over therespective period of time for each person comprises both a chronologicalhistory of the symptoms of each person during the respective period oftime, and a spatial representation of the locations of the selections ofthe symptoms by each person during the respective period of time.

In another feature, data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by each person includes an identification ofthe corresponding one or more selected symptoms.

In another feature, the data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by each person includes a timestamp for whenthe one or more symbolic representations were selected.

In another feature, the data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by each person includes an identification ofthe location at which the one or more symbolic representations wereselected. The identification of the location at which the one or moresymbolic representations were selected by each person may include GPScoordinates of the location at which the one or more symbolicrepresentations were selected.

In another feature, the data regarding the one or more symbolicrepresentations that were selected by each person includes an indicationof the intensity of a symptom for which a symbolic representation wasselected.

In another feature, the information is electronically accessible by aresearcher for generating a history of one or more of the symptoms thatwere selected by the plurality of persons.

In another feature, the information is electronically accessible by theperson for generating a history of one or more of the symptoms that wereselected by the plurality of persons.

In another feature, the information is electronically accessible and isused to facilitate self, professional or automated decision making,support, audit, or guidance.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theplurality of persons and compiling a history based on the accessed data.

In another feature, the method further comprises the steps of accessingthe data regarding the one or more symbolic representations selected bythe plurality of persons and displaying the accessed data over time inthe nature of a movie.

In another feature, the method further comprises the steps of accessingthe data regarding the one or more symbolic representations selected bythe plurality of persons and displaying the accessed data over time inthe nature of a graph.

In another feature, the method further comprises the steps of accessingthe data regarding the one or more symbolic representations selected bythe plurality of persons and displaying the accessed data on a map.

In another feature, the method further comprises accessing the dataregarding the one or more symbolic representations selected by theplurality of persons, identifying past and current community history ofthe symptoms selected, and making a clinical decision based, in part, onthe past and current community history data of the plurality of persons.

In another aspect, an apparatus used in monitoring one or more symptomsof a person comprises: (a) a display for presenting to the person one ormore symbolic representations corresponding to one or more symptoms froma predefined set of symbolic representations; (b) a user input forreceiving a selection by the person of one or more symbolicrepresentations of the predefined set; (c) machine readable medium forelectronically recording data regarding one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by the person over a period of time; (d) aprocessor; and (e) computer readable instructions contained in computerreadable medium which, when executed by the processor, perform a methodof monitoring one or more symptoms of a person, the method comprisingrepeating, over a period of time, the steps of: (i) presenting on thedisplay the one or more symbolic representations from the predefined setof symbolic representations; (ii) receiving a selection by the person ofone or more symbolic representations of the predefined set; and (iii)electronically recording in the machine readable medium data regardingone or more symbolic representations selected by the person over theperiod of time.

In a feature, the data is recorded such that the data is electronicallyaccessible later for generating a history of the symptoms of the personover the period of time.

In another feature, the display and the user input are components of atouch screen.

In another feature, the apparatus further comprises a communicationscomponent by which the recorded data is communicated from the apparatusto another device whereat a history is generated of the symptoms of theperson over the period of time.

In another feature, the apparatus further comprises a wirelesscommunications component by which the recorded data is communicated fromthe apparatus to another device whereat a history is generated of thesymptoms of the person over the period of time. The wirelesscommunications component may comprise an RF radio component including atransceiver.

In another feature, the apparatus is handheld and portable.

In another feature, the apparatus further comprises a consumerelectronic device.

In another feature, the apparatus further comprises a handheld consumerelectronic device.

In another aspect of the invention, a system for monitoring one or moresymptoms of a plurality of persons comprises: (a) a plurality ofcomputing devices each used by a respective person whose symptoms aremonitored, each computing device comprising, (i) a display configured topresent to the respective person one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms from a predefined set of symbolicrepresentations, (ii) a user input configured to receive a selection bythe respective person of one or more symbolic representations of thepredefined set, (iii) a communications component configured tocommunicate data regarding one or more symbolic representations selectedby the respective person; and (b) one or more computing devicesconfigured to, (i) receive the communicated data from the plurality ofcomputing devices of the persons, and (ii) store the received data suchthat the data is accessible later for processing of the data.

In another feature, one of the computing devices of a respective one ofthe persons is configured to electronically access the stored data andprocess the accessed data for generating a history of symptoms of therespective person.

In another feature, the system further comprises a plurality ofcomputing devices each configured to (i) electronically access thestored data, and (ii) process the accessed data for generating a historyof symptoms of one or more of the plurality of persons.

In another feature, the system further comprises a plurality ofcomputing devices each configured to (i) electronically access thestored data, and (ii) process the accessed data for generating a historyof symptoms of the plurality of persons. One of the computing devicesconfigured to electronically access the stored data and process theaccessed data for generating a history of symptoms may be used by ahealthcare professional.

In another feature, one or more of the computer devices of the personscomprise machine readable medium configured to electronically record forlater communication a sequence of data regarding one or more symbolicrepresentations selected over a period of time.

In another feature, the communicated data is received over acommunications network.

In another feature, the computing devices of the persons are configuredto communicate the data using the TCP/IP protocol.

In another feature, the computing devices of the persons are configuredto communicate the data over the Internet.

In another feature, the one or more computer devices configured toreceive and store the data comprise a server.

In another feature, the one or more computer devices configured toreceive and store the data comprise a plurality of servers.

In another aspect, a system for monitoring one or more symptoms of aplurality of persons comprises: (a) a plurality of consumer electronicdevices, each used by a respective person whose symptoms are monitored,each consumer electronic device comprising (i) a display configured topresent to the respective person one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms from a predefined set of symbolicrepresentations, (ii) a user input configured to receive a selection bythe respective person of one or more symbolic representations of thepredefined set, (iii) a communications component configured tocommunicate data regarding one or more symbolic representations selectedby the respective person; and (b) one or more storage devices configuredto, (i) receive the communicated data from the plurality of computingdevices of the persons, and (ii) store the received data such that thedata is accessible later for processing of the data; and (c) a pluralityof computing devices each configured to, (i) electronically access thestored data, and (ii) process the accessed data for generating a historyof symptoms of the plurality of persons.

In additional aspects and features of the invention, data is transferredover virtual networks as disclosed in the incorporated documents; datais stored in dispersed storage area network as disclosed in theincorporated documents; data is stored and accessed in dispersed storagearea network utilizing virtual dispersive routing (VDR), as disclosed inthe incorporated documents; decision support is enhanced by classifyingdata as being trusted, corrupted, invalid or uncertain; and decisionsupport is enhanced by classifying datasets as trusted, ambiguous andinadequate, where ambiguous data may contain corrupted or invalid datapoints.

In addition to the aforementioned aspects and features of the presentinvention, it should be noted that the present invention furtherencompasses the various possible combinations and subcombinations ofsuch aspects and features. Thus, for example, any aspect may be combinedwith an aforementioned feature in accordance with the present inventionwithout requiring any other aspect or feature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more preferred embodiments of the present invention now will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, whereinthe same elements are referred to with the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1a illustrates a graphical display of a computing device running anexample blood pressure medication tracker program, commercially known as“BPRx-Tracker”, as it might appear on a medical provider's displayscreen at the time of consultation.

FIG. 1b illustrates an exemplary display of a computer device of aperson showing a predefined set of symbolic representation of symptomsand a range of intensity of each symptom for selection by the person.

FIG. 2a through FIG. 2f illustrate some exemplary symbolicrepresentations of symptoms, each of which could be included in apredefined set for presenting to a user for selection.

FIG. 3a through FIG. 3f illustrate additional exemplary symbolicrepresentations of symptoms, each of which could be included in apredefined set for presenting to a user for selection.

FIG. 4a through FIG. 4b and FIG. 5a through FIG. 5c each illustratesadditional exemplary symbolic representations of symptoms, each of whichcould be included in a predefined set for presenting to a user forselection, and each of which includes a range by which a user can selectan intensity of the symptom felt when selecting the symptom.

FIG. 6a illustrates the receipt of a plurality of data streams from eachof a plurality of devices that portions of data are stored on.

FIG. 6b illustrates a high level system architecture utilizingdispersive data storage servers in a storage area network (SAN).

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary methodology in accordance with one ormore preferred implementations.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary system which can be utilized with themethodology of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 illustrates a exemplary methodology for monitoring symptoms ofusers who have entered data via the methodology of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one havingordinary skill in the relevant art (“Ordinary Artisan”) that the presentinvention has broad utility and application. As should be understood,any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of theabove-disclosed aspects of the invention and may further incorporateonly one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore,any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” isconsidered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out thepresent invention. Other embodiments also may be discussed foradditional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enablingdisclosure of the present invention. As should be understood, anyembodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of theabove-disclosed aspects of the invention and may further incorporateonly one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Moreover, manyembodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, andequivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodimentsdescribed herein and fall within the scope of the present invention.

Accordingly, while the present invention is described herein in detailin relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that thisdisclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present invention, andis made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enablingdisclosure of the present invention. The detailed disclosure herein ofone or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, tolimit the scope of patent protection afforded the present invention,which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof.It is not intended that the scope of patent protection afforded thepresent invention be defined by reading into any claim a limitationfound herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.

Thus, for example, any sequence(s) and/or temporal order of steps ofvarious processes or methods that are described herein are illustrativeand not restrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, althoughsteps of various processes or methods may be shown and described asbeing in a sequence or temporal order, the steps of any such processesor methods are not limited to being carried out in any particularsequence or order, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps insuch processes or methods generally may be carried out in variousdifferent sequences and orders while still falling within the scope ofthe present invention. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope ofpatent protection afforded the present invention is to be defined by theappended claims rather than the description set forth herein.

Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refersto that which the Ordinary Artisan would understand such term to meanbased on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that themeaning of a term used herein—as understood by the Ordinary Artisanbased on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from anyparticular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that themeaning of the term as understood by the Ordinary Artisan shouldprevail.

Regarding applicability of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶6, no claim element isintended to be read in accordance with this statutory provision unlessthe explicit phrase “means for” or “step for” is actually used in suchclaim element, whereupon this statutory provision is intended to applyin the interpretation of such claim element.

Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an”each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a pluralityunless the contextual use dictates otherwise. Thus, reference to “apicnic basket having an apple” describes “a picnic basket having atleast one apple” as well as “a picnic basket having apples.” Incontrast, reference to “a picnic basket having a single apple” describes“a picnic basket having only one apple.”

When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one ofthe items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Thus,reference to “a picnic basket having cheese or crackers” describes “apicnic basket having cheese without crackers”, “a picnic basket havingcrackers without cheese”, and “a picnic basket having both cheese andcrackers.” Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and”denotes “all of the items of the list.” Thus, reference to “a picnicbasket having cheese and crackers” describes “a picnic basket havingcheese, wherein the picnic basket further has crackers,” as well asdescribes “a picnic basket having crackers, wherein the picnic basketfurther has cheese.”

Referring now to the drawings, one or more preferred embodiments of thepresent invention are next described. The following description of oneor more preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in noway intended to limit the invention, its implementations, or uses.

With reference now to the drawings, FIG. 1a shows a graphical display100 of a computing device running an example blood pressure medicationtracker program, commercially known as “BPRx-Tracker”, as it mightappear on a medical provider's display screen at the time ofconsultation. FIG. 1b illustrates an exemplary display 110 of a computerdevice of a person showing a predefined set of symbolic representationof symptoms and a range of intensity of each symptom for selection bythe person, which exemplary display could have been used by a personwhose history of symptoms is shown in FIG. 1 a.

The example of FIG. 1a illustrates how a healthcare provider mightfollow symptoms that he or she is especially concerned about afterprescribing a beta-blocker (blood pressure medication) at a patientvisit on Mar. 1, 2011. Specifically, in this example subjective feelings(symptoms) are rated daily, beginning on Mar. 2, 2011, from 0-5 on asliding scale. While the example uses daily as the time frame, othertime frames, such as hourly or every six hours while awake, could beused as desired.

As shown in FIG. 1a , the patient filled the prescription on March 2 andstarted tracking his or her symptoms. He or she rapidly became dizzy toa potentially dangerous level on March 4, and the clinic wasautomatically notified via an alert, which may be sent for example viaemail or text messaging. The alert enables the clinic staff theopportunity to contact the patient to determine how the patent is doing.At a follow-up visit on Mar. 14, 2011, the patient indicated that he orshe was fine; however, the prescribing physician knew from the previousdata entries and resulting history shown in FIG. 1a that the patient wasfailing to mention the problem with his or her libido as well as thesevere dizziness and fatigue experienced soon after prescribing themedication (and presumably taking the medication by the patient). Thisinformation, which otherwise would be unknown to the healthcareprovider, thus is available and used in clinical decision making to, forexample, alter the prescription, if appropriate; minimize adversereactions; and enhance treatment.

An application on a computing platform such as a mobile phone, laptopcomputer, computing tablet (i.e., a Xoom or iPad tablet) used by thepatient to record the symptoms and other observations, enables real-timegathering of information. Accessible recording of symptoms andexperiences from a patient's (individual) perspective as recorded by theindividual and recorded in real-time that is practical. Recordingdevices can be mobile phones, phones dicta-phones and others. Theconversations and data are time and geospatially stamped so that trendscan be analyzed over time and space.

It will be appreciated from this disclosure that, to solve the literacy,general communication skills, and language, cultural, ethnic,doctor/patient and social economic barriers, a series of pictorialrepresentations are used to allow the person to quantify his or hercondition. These representations can be recognized by humans as beingrepresentative of specific symptoms, and can be entered through avariety of recording devices (visual icons, verbal sound bytes).

Examples of universal icons used in preferred embodiments are shown inFIG. 2a through FIG. 2f ; and FIG. 3a through FIG. 3f . Specifically,FIG. 2a represents coughing; FIG. 2b represents blurred vision; FIG. 2crepresents sweating; FIG. 2d represents fatigue or deep sleep (dependingon context); FIG. 2e represents sleeplessness; and FIG. 2f representsforgetfulness; FIG. 3a represents generic abdominal problems (such as,for example, indigestion/heartburn); FIG. 3b represents diarrhea; FIG.3c represents hyperactivity; FIG. 3d represents despair or fatigue; FIG.3e represents cold sweats; and FIG. 3f represents confusion.

Symptom symbology qualities also can be captured when symptoms areselected by a person. For example, such qualities may include, in one ormore preferred embodiments, anatomical region; anatomical type;discharge; runny, thick; color; volume; mood, constitutive; infective;performance; and condition clusters.

Ranges as indications of intensity of symptoms can further be used. Forexample, FIGS. 4a and 4b , and FIGS. 5a and 5b , each include symbolicrepresentations wherein an intensity of each symptom can be indicated bythe person while experiencing the symptom. Specifically, FIG. 4aprovides for the indication by a person of the degree of motivationcurrently felt via a “strip” of increasing intensity (from left toright) of the touch sensitive display 410; FIG. 4b provides for theindication by a person of the degree of wellness currently felt (ordegree to which a person feels unwell) via a “strip” of increasingintensity (from left to right) of the touch sensitive display 420; FIG.5a provides for the indication by a person of the degree of sore throatcurrently felt via a “strip” of decreasing intensity (from left toright) of the touch sensitive display 510; and FIG. 5b provides for theindication by a person of the degree of abdominal discomfort currentlyfelt via a “strip” of decreasing intensity (from left to right) of thetouch sensitive display 520. FIG. 5c illustrates additional symbolicrepresentations wherein an intensity of each symptom can be indicated bya person while experiencing the symptom via sliding bars of the display530. In this example, once the appropriate indications of intensity ordegree have been set by the person, the update button is selected at thebottom of the display 530.

In accordance with one or more preferred embodiments of the invention, aperson selects one or more images from a predefined set of images ofsymptoms. Preferably the predefined set includes less than ten. Thepredefined set further preferably pertains to specific diseases, diseaseprocesses, or groups whereby more focused feedback and monitoringresults from the symptom-tracking process. This overcomes the problem ofhaving too many symptoms to choose from and not knowing what symptoms toreport. Exemplary conditions include head injury, influenza, and asthma.Exemplary groups include athletes and those on blood pressure medicationor with heart disease.

A goal of one or more aspects or features of the present invention is toenhance communications between patients and their providers. To minimizebarriers, preferred embodiments of the invention utilize a single ordouble word (multiple language insertion capabilities) and single iconidentifier of symptoms (icons are modifiable depending upon user or usergroup preference), linked to an intensity scale—this is automaticallytime-stamped and preferably associated with geolocation information aswell, provided that the communications hardware includes geolocatingcapabilities.

It is believed that preferred embodiments of the invention representpowerful and cost-effective tools for data collection for communication,recording, auditing, and enhanced clinical decision-making throughcombined data display or by running decision support algorithms on thedata.

For example, with reference to FIG. 1a , each symptom entry is a usefuldata point that, when combined with other data (biometrics, location,other symptom entries) inform on population, sub-population andindividual behaviors.

It is also preferred that, for persons who are blind, the device includea piezoelectric component, or other heat generating component, whichheat can be substituted for light in order to simulate virtual Braillefunctionality.

Medical SAN Preferably Utilizing Virtual Dispersive Routing

Additionally, in one or more preferred implementations, storage areanetwork technology and/or virtual dispersive routing technology, alsopreferably including VDR servers (as described in documents incorporatedby reference hereinabove), are utilized in the above medical context toprovide secure storage and access to medical records and data.

A storage area network (SAN) is a network created to interconnect one ormore data storage devices, e.g. different forms of data storage devices,with one or more servers. In a conventional implementation of a SAN,cloud-based storage and processing are utilized. However, the use ofsuch cloud-based storage and processing can present significant securityand information fidelity issues. For example, data to be transferred maynot transfer due to an error with a server or a storage device, or ahacker may attempt to break in through a public access point, such as awebsite. Further, breaches may occur when employees are careless ormalicious, thereby allowing data to be copied or stolen from a database,or, perhaps worse, allowing data to be changed, or other actions takenthat may case additional harm. Further still, sometimes a storage areanetwork may fail to transfer files because only one route is available,which can increase risk if communications are attempted multiple times.Encryption is sometimes utilized to protect data in a SAN, but, givenenough processing power, such encryption alone may not be enough.

Thus, storing information in a network, such as in cloud storage, issubject to theft and hacking, both where information is stored and as itis being transferred over the network.

In one or more preferred implementations, virtual dispersive routingtechnology (as disclosed in documents which are incorporated herein byreference above) is utilized in a storage context to form one or moredispersive SANs.

In an exemplary preferred implementation of a dispersive SAN, data isdispersed for secure storage by being distributed to, and stored at, aplurality of devices, and virtual dispersive routing is utilized toeffect such dispersed distribution of data. For example, data may bedispersed, via virtual dispersive routing, from a mobile phone andstored at a laptop, a desktop, another mobile phone, and a server. Thus,data may be distributed to multiple, physically separate places. Hackingsuch data at its place of storage would thus require hackers to hackmultiple different devices at multiple, different sites to gather all ofthe data.

Similarly, as the data is distributed utilizing virtual dispersiverouting, multiple routes would have to be hacked to gather all of thedata. Further, the security functionality of virtual dispersive routingdescribed in the incorporated documents would render hacking oftransferred data more difficult.

With respect to accessing data, a device 650 accessing data preferablyreceives a plurality of data streams from each of the devices652,654,656,658 on which any portion of the data is stored using virtualdispersive routing. Such communications could occur over, for example, apublic network, a private network, a wireless personal area network(WPAN), or a wireless local area network (WLAN). Preferably, the gapsbetween packets are controlled by virtual machine messaging so thattiming of packets can be used as another mechanism to determine hacking,rerouting and other network attack techniques. Similarly, the sequenceof data from each source and size of data transmitted is controlled byvirtual machines, and by streaming data simultaneously from multiplesites, hacking can be further frustrated. By placing a signal on eitherside of a connection, virtual machines can signal to each other whichroute is the fastest and stripe data to be encoded across multiplesites. Further, direct connection between devices enables more efficientcommunications (e.g., with less overhead) and faster communications, andfurther obviates the need for authentication and data transfer via aserver, unless an specific software application running on one of thedevices specifies the use of authentication and data transfer via aserver.

In dividing storage of data across multiple devices, in at least someimplementations some storage overlap may be utilized in that some, orall, portions of data may be stored at multiple devices, so that if onedevice is offline such data may still be accessible from another device.Preferably, decisions on whether to send data can be directed by aclient based on the presence of devices available to participate in aninformation transfer. Preferably, virtual machine messaging is utilizedto keep track of communications to ensure quality of service and theability to abstract networking from an application.

In at least some preferred implementations, remote storage devices areutilized for storage in a manner similar to how hard drives might beutilized in a redundant array of independent disks (RAID). Such remotestorage devices might be utilized in a manner akin to any standard levelof RAID, or even more exotic flavors of RAID, and even in a manner akinto nested RAID.

Thus, as described hereinabove, virtual dispersive routing can beutilized to form dispersive storage area networks (SANs), and suchdispersive SANs can be utilized in a medical context to provide accessto medical records and data stored at disparate dispersed locations.

For example, several hospitals (and doctor's offices, etc.) in a regionmay each have their own servers with medical records, and other data,stored thereon. In a preferred implementation, users would be able toaccess medical records stored at any hospital's server via virtualdispersive routing. Further, in at least some preferred implementations,medical records may be segmented and dispersed to multiple physicalservers, or devices, for enhanced security or redundancy, as describedhereinabove with reference to dispersive SANs, and in documentsincorporated herein.

Preferably, such a system allows for the sharing of medical informationwhile retaining storage of the information at its current location,e.g., a doctor's office storing patient records would not have to cedestorage of such patient records to a central server or database just toensure available access thereto by other users. Thus, as data can remainstored where it currently is, in some preferred implementations, noadditional server or database infrastructure is needed to consolidatemedical records or data.

Moreover, to address internal security issues, a dispersed SAN is usedto enable specific access to certain segments of the data. Bydistributing data across multiple servers and only giving access tospecific servers, information can be kept secure (servers can bephysically located in different locations, separate physical devices orseparated by virtual machines) and the ability to copy the informationfrom the servers becomes impossible from a single site. To be able tomaintain anonymity for researching medical information, certain fieldscan be separated from the data (i.e. name and address). A referencenumber is used in the record to identify and to reassemble the completerecord. The networking virtual machines are given information on how toaccess the data. The access control determines which set of records auser has access to.

For example, with reference to FIG. 6B, a user's mobile phone 670 isallowed to access specific information that is “proper” for the user toaccess. In this example, the user would be restricted to the servers680,682,684 indicated by the white bar (that is, the top three servers).Similarly, a Researcher 672 is blocked from accessing certaininformation so he or she is only able to access the servers 684,686,686indicated by the black bar (that is, the bottom three servers). A doctorwould have access to the servers 682,684,686 indicated with across-hatched bar (that is, the middle three servers). In some preferredimplementations, information can be duplicated on multiple serversand/or specific fields can be removed to improve privacy. The sites,where the information is stored, are encoded on a user device. To deterhacking and impersonation attacks (such as man-in-the-middle), a VM(Virtual Machine) can open separate simultaneous connections to eachstorage device (examples of storage devices are servers, desktopcomputers, mobile phones and other computing devices present on thenetwork). To leverage Virtual Dispersive Networking (VDN), a server canuse a VM to control networking. The use of VDN would enable deflectionof routing through other servers and clients using SWRT (SoftWareRouTer).

Additionally, the data on the client devices (mobile phone, Doctor's PCand Researcher) can be backed up using standard backup methods.

Finally, it will be appreciated that while the client devices can alsoleverage the dispersive SANs techniques, too, and this example has beendescribed utilizing virtual dispersive routing, it nevertheless iscontemplated that the medical data could be stored and accessed in anon-dispersive SAN with the data segregation described above. User ofdispersive routing, however, is preferred for security and privacy.

Medical Decision Making Algorithms

In one or more preferred embodiments, the medical data and,specifically, the data acquired from the aforementioned symptom trackingapparatus, methods and systems, is used in decision making. Moreover,the medical decision making algorithms preferably are based on (i.e.,take into account) how the data is acquired. For instance, the data canbe acquired based on individual-to-machine inputs, where the machine istypically a computer but may be any communication device such as atelephone, a voice recorder, or a display interface. This method of datainput has the potential to produce cleaner, more valid data, therebyovercoming problems with the traditionaldoctor-to-patient-to-computer-records approach that has potential fordata corruption from poor or inaccurate recall (patient memory),communication barriers, translation, and transcription. Therefore, thedata that the decision-making algorithms are based on from theaforementioned symptom tracking apparatus, methods and systems isbelieved to be more robust and should lead to improvements in clinicaldecision support.

Additionally, it is contemplated within certain aspect and features ofthe invention that direct patient input of each data point may be (andpreferably is) assigned different weighting for consideration in thedecision making process. In this respect, there is a user defined(intrinsic) weight that the user assigns when entering the data. Thisweight changes with each input. There are other algorithm defined(extrinsic) weights. The intrinsic weight for each data point is fixedwhereas the extrinsic weights are fluid and dependent on thedecision-making environment. The extrinsic weight of a data point isdetermined by a variety of factors including, for example: temporalband; geographical band; related diagnostic group; demographic band;community band, where community can include relatives, contacts,friends, colleagues and so on; potential for danger, “red flag”assignment; past history; family history; intake—food, drink,supplements; pharmaceutical or drugs—prescribed, over-the-counter,recreational; activity; diagnoses; and interventions.

Dataset categories in accordance with one or more preferred embodimentsinclude: minimal (most efficient); confusing (contains corrupt orinvalid data); and inadequate.

Data quality in accordance with one or more preferred embodiments alsois assigned and, in particular, each data point is assigned a dataquality rank. An example would be a new user for an input device wouldhave earlier inputs with a lesser ranking compared to later inputs thatwould have a higher data point ranking.

As disclosed hereinabove, each data point also preferably istime-stamped at the time of the input, which preferably corresponds withthe time of the “real experience”. Moreover, if different, the personcould additionally indicate the time of the real experience. Forexample, for a meal that was ingested at midday and entered at 1:00 pm,both a 1:00 pm timestamp could be recorded as well as data indicatingthat the meal was eaten at noon.

Preferably each data point is also stamped for where the data wasentered and, potentially, for where the data point was accrued. Forexample, someone who developed a rash while walking through a field offlowers at 1:30 pm may enter the data at 1:50 pm at a differentlocation. The entry location is preferably always recorded automaticallyby the device provided there is a location function, such as GPS, on thedevice. Additionally, with less quality ranking the user could manuallyenter the geographical location where he was walking, though this wouldpreferably receive a lower quality ranking than a machine accrued stamp.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary methodology 700 in accordance withaspects and features described herein. As illustrated in FIG. 7, one ormore predefined sets of symbolic representations first are presented 702to a user via an electronic device. Thereafter, the user selects 704,via the electronic device, one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms from a predefined set of presentedsymbolic representations. Subsequently, data regarding the one or moresymbolic representations selected by the user is electronically recorded706.

This methodology can be repeated for repeated electronic recordation ofdata regarding selected symbolic representations, for example by thesame user with the same mobile device (or a different mobile device)over days, weeks, months, or years, as well as by other users.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary system which can be utilized with suchmethodology. In this system, a plurality of users 801,802,803 can selectsymbolic representations using respective electronic devices811,812,813. Data regarding the one or more symbolic representationsselected by such users can be electronically recorded at one or moreservers 820. Utilizing such recorded data, symptoms of users who haveentered data can be monitored.

For example, consider a scenario as illustrated in FIG. 9 in which firstdata regarding one or more symbolic representations selected 902 by JohnDoe is electronically recorded at time equal to t₀, second dataregarding one or more symbolic representations selected 904 by Jane Doeis electronically recorded time equal to t₁, and third data regardingone or more symbolic representations selected 906 by John Doe iselectronically recorded time equal to t₂. Thereafter, at time equal tot₃ this recorded data is accessed 908 and a report is generated of ahistory of symptoms for this particular user, John Doe, over a selectedperiod of time including from time t₀ to t₂, from time t₀ to t₁, fromtime t₁ to t₂, as desired. Expanding upon this example, rather thanselecting a single user, a set of users (representing a subset of users)may be selected and a history generated for the plurality of users.

It is believed that several benefits of one or more preferredembodiments of the invention include: the enablement of people to puttheir symptoms into a computing device regardless of literacy; theenablement of data to be recorded in real-time or near real-timeregardless of literacy; the spreading out (or dispersing) of data inorder to improve security and provide anonymity for individuals (i.e.patients); the reduction in the opportunity for misremembering orforgetting important facts; the provision of a solution for peopleregardless of their literacy, general communication skills, andlanguage, cultural, ethnic, doctor/patient and social economic barriers,minimizing data corruption due to translation and transcription errors;the reduction in the opportunities for data to be stolen at the storagesite; the improvement of security of the access of data; and theenhanced medical decision making.

Based on the foregoing description, it will be readily understood bythose persons skilled in the art that the present invention issusceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments andadaptations of the present invention other than those specificallydescribed herein, as well as many variations, modifications, andequivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggestedby the present invention and the foregoing descriptions thereof, withoutdeparting from the substance or scope of the present invention.Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein indetail in relation to one or more preferred embodiments, it is to beunderstood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary ofthe present invention and is made merely for the purpose of providing afull and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosureis not intended to be construed to limit the present invention orotherwise exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations,modifications or equivalent arrangements, the present invention beinglimited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device used for monitoring one ormore symptoms of a person over time, comprising: (a) a display forpresenting to the person one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms; (b) a user input for receiving aselection by the person of one or more symbolic representationspresented to the person on the display; (c) a machine readable mediumfor electronically recording data regarding one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by the person using the user input such thatthe recorded data is electronically accessible later for generating ahistory of symptoms of the person over a period of time; (d) aprocessor; and (e) computer readable instructions contained in computerreadable medium which, when executed by the processor, perform a methodof monitoring one or more symptoms of a person, the method comprising,(i) repeating over time the steps of: (A) presenting on the display, foreach of a plurality of potential symptoms, a set of two or more symbolicrepresentations, each set of two or more symbolic representationscomprising symbolic representations of different intensity levels forthat potential symptom; (B) receiving a selection, by the person usingthe user input, of one or more symbolic representations presented on thedisplay; and (C) electronically recording in the machine readable mediumdata regarding the selection of the one or more symbolic representationspresented on the display, the data that is electronically recorded onthe electronic device comprising, (1) identification of the one or moresymbolic representations selected by the person as being representativeof intensity levels of symptoms of the person, (2) identification of thetime at which the selection of the one or more symbolic representationsis made by the person, and (3) identification of a geographical locationof the electronic device at which the selection of the one or moresymbolic representations is made by the person; and (ii) based on thedata that is electronically recorded on the electronic device over time,(A) generating by the electronic device a history of the symptoms of theperson over a period of time; and (B) presenting on the display of theelectronic device the generated history, including showing arelationship of one or more symptoms of the person to time.
 2. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the display and the user input arecomponents of a touch screen.
 3. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the apparatus is handheld and portable.
 4. The electronic deviceof claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a consumer electronicdevice.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the apparatuscomprises a handheld consumer electronic device.
 6. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the electronic device comprises a smartphone.
 7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the identificationof a geographical location at which a selection is made by the personover the period of time comprises GPS coordinates of the geographicallocation.
 8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein displaying by theelectronic device the generated history further includes showing arelationship of the symptoms of the person to geographical locations. 9.The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising displaying inchronological order the selections that were made by the person over theperiod of time.
 10. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprisingdisplaying in a spatial representation the geographical locations atwhich the selections were made by the person over the period of time.11. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising acommunications component by which the recorded data is communicated fromthe electronic device to another device.
 12. The electronic device ofclaim 1, further comprising a wireless communications component by whichthe recorded data is communicated from the electronic device to anotherdevice.
 13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronicdevice is operable by voice.
 14. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the electronic device is operable by gestures.
 15. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is operableby recognition of facial expressions of a person.
 16. The electronicdevice of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is operable byrecognition of eye movements of a person.
 17. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the electronic device is operable by touch.
 18. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is operableby brain activity.
 19. An electronic device used for monitoring one ormore symptoms of a person over time, comprising: (a) a display forpresenting to the person one or more symbolic representationscorresponding to one or more symptoms; (b) a user input for receiving aselection by the person of one or more symbolic representationspresented to the person on the display; (c) a machine readable mediumfor electronically recording data regarding one or more symbolicrepresentations selected by the person using the user input such thatthe recorded data is electronically accessible later for generating ahistory of symptoms of the person over a period of time; (d) aprocessor; and (e) computer readable instructions contained in computerreadable medium which, when executed by the processor, perform a methodof monitoring one or more symptoms of a person, the method comprising,(i) repeating over time the steps of: (A) presenting on the display, foreach of a plurality of potential symptoms, a set of two or more symbolicrepresentations together with a user interface element, each set of twoor more symbolic representations comprising symbolic representations ofdifferent intensity levels for that potential symptom and thecorresponding user interface element being configured to allow a user toselect a symptom intensity level for that potential symptom; (B)receiving one or more selections, by the person via the user interfaceelements, of one or more symptom intensity levels of the person; and (C)electronically recording in the machine readable medium data regardingthe selection of the one or more symptom intensity levels, the data thatis electronically recorded on the electronic device comprising, (1)identification of the one or more symptom intensity levels of theperson, (2) identification of the time at which the one or moreselections were made by the person, and (3) identification of ageographical location of the electronic device at which the one or moreselections were made by the person; and (ii) based on the data that iselectronically recorded on the electronic device over time, (A)generating by the electronic device a history of the symptoms of theperson over a period of time; and (B) presenting on the display of theelectronic device the generated history, including showing arelationship of one or more symptoms of the person to time.
 20. Anelectronic device used for monitoring one or more symptoms of a personover time, comprising: (a) a display for presenting to the person one ormore symbolic representations corresponding to one or more symptoms; (b)a user input for receiving a selection by the person of one or moresymbolic representations presented to the person on the display; (c) amachine readable medium for electronically recording data regarding oneor more symbolic representations selected by the person using the userinput such that the recorded data is electronically accessible later forgenerating a history of symptoms of the person over a period of time;(d) a processor; and (e) computer readable instructions contained incomputer readable medium which, when executed by the processor, performa method of monitoring one or more symptoms of a person, the methodcomprising, (i) repeating over time the steps of: (A) presenting on thedisplay, for each of a plurality of potential symptoms, one or moresymbolic representations together with a user interface element, eachsymbolic representation comprising a symbolic representation of anintensity levels for that potential symptom and the corresponding userinterface element being configured to allow a user to select a symptomintensity level for that potential symptom; (B) receiving one or moreselections, by the person via the user interface elements, of one ormore symptom intensity levels of the person; and (C) electronicallyrecording in the machine readable medium data regarding the selection ofthe one or more symptom intensity levels, the data that iselectronically recorded on the electronic device comprising, (1)identification of the one or more symptom intensity levels of theperson, (2) identification of the time at which the one or moreselections were made by the person, and (3) identification of ageographical location of the electronic device at which the one or moreselections were made by the person; and (ii) based on the data that iselectronically recorded on the electronic device over time, (A)generating by the electronic device a history of the symptoms of theperson over a period of time; and (B) presenting on the display of theelectronic device the generated history, including showing arelationship of one or more symptoms of the person to time.